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Flagler County agrees to settlement, outlines plan to make websites ADA-accessible
Summary
County counsel told the commission the county reached a settlement to resolve website-accessibility claims with about a one-year remediation timeline and an approximate cost of $17,000; IT director said the county will aim to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards, hire a coordinator, and use third-party audits.
Flagler County officials briefed the Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 4 about a settlement to resolve lawsuits alleging website accessibility violations under the Americans with Disabilities Act and described an action plan to bring county sites into compliance.
County counsel said the settlement provides the county one year to adapt its current websites for wider access by people with disabilities and indicated the settlement amount is approximately $17,000. "The settlement provides that within 1 year, we'll be in compliance," counsel said.
Jared Shoop, the county's innovation technology director, outlined a remediation plan that includes adopting the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at the double-A level, designating a website accessibility coordinator, contracting a third-party consultant to evaluate sites annually and improving closed-captioning and PDF accessibility. Shoop said the county currently meets about a 95% standard for closed captioning and will work to reach a higher compliance target.
The county acknowledged that some of the initial claims it received contained unreadable or incorrectly labeled documents; Shoop said staff will avoid posting an accessibility notice until work has begun and a verified process is in place. He told the board the county will return within about a month with a more detailed plan and budget estimates for the work.
Commissioner discussion included the view that the suits are widespread across Florida and public comment noted concerns that plaintiff-attorneys and law firms benefit financially from such suits; counsel and IT staff described the settlement and remediation as consistent with statewide practice and the best path to limit future exposure and improve access.
